The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) released the following statement commending California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom for leading the development of a statewide economic growth strategy with the release of An Economic Growth and Competitiveness Agenda for California.

“At a time when California’s unemployment rate lingers near 12 percent, it is encouraging to see elected leaders like Lieutenant Governor Newsom take action to create jobs for the millions of Californians desperately looking for work,” said LAEDC CEO Bill Allen. “His plan is an important step to address California’s high unemployment and boost California’s global competitiveness.”

Similar to the process the LAEDC used to help facilitate the creation of L.A. County’s first-ever Strategic Plan for Economic Development, the California plan addresses the roadblocks to economic growth and job creation, as well as looks for ways to leverage our built-in assets and comparative advantages to spur economic growth. The L.A. County Strategic Plan was developed in a consensus fashion with input from over 1,080 stakeholder organizations including business, labor, the environmental community, education and the public sector. The California plan, which will look to develop consensus after its release, must generate this support to ensure its ultimate success.

The five-year L.A. County Plan was created with a strategy for implementation, which is now in its second year. This strategy includes accountability, champions and measurements of success. Creating a plan is the easy part, but the most important phase remains implementation, and so the LAEDC stands ready to partner with the Lieutenant Governor and other civic stewards to ensure the successful implementation of the Economic Growth and Competitiveness Agenda for California.

For more information about LAEDC, please visit www.laedc.org and twitter.com/laedc. For more information about the Los Angeles County Strategic Plan for Economic Development, please visit www.lacountystrategicplan.com.]